I Took a Walk in the Dark
by AlphaHikari
Summary: Marceline goes for a late night stroll. She comes across a few interesting people along the way, and manages to help some of them out. Rated T for like, one curse word towards the beginning, I think.


**I Took a Walk in the Dark **

She didn't understand what possessed her to go outside that night. The need to get up and move was strong, so she surrendered to it. The nineteen year old college freshman dressed herself in a pair of black skinny jeans, a red hood, and her favorite pair of converse before deeming herself ready to go. Grabbing her phone and keys, she gave her dog an affectionate petting session and left her apartment.

The surrounding area was a dump. Buildings weren't properly being cared for, stray animals went through garbage and left messes everywhere, and it was easy to tell which apartments had some serious illegal activity going on behind closed doors. Anyone who could would avoid this street at any cost, but Marceline loved it here. She loved the chaos. She loved how old the bricks looked and how they felt like they could cave with just the slightest touch. She loved the feeling of constant danger. She just loved it.

She took her first steps down the stairwell to the left of her door and began her trek. The raven haired girl had no idea where she would end up, but she decided to let her feet guide her. Tonight she would be doing a little sightseeing. She was already well acquainted with her own neighborhood so she walked down a narrow alleyway on the side of her building and aimed herself for the middle of town. It would be a long walk, but she had nothing better to do.

Seeing a teen walking around at night wasn't an unusual sight in this town. It seemed as if all the teens were the most active at night. Some adults would call it a trend and let it be, but there were a few that would shout things at the children describing them as ruffians, criminals, and the like; even if they weren't doing anything illegal or morally wrong. Marceline had heard her fair share of insults over the years and she was used to it. She even welcomed the attention sometimes. Already she had been branded as a thief by a worker of the grocery store she just passed. All she did was glance at him when she walked by, but it seemed that he took offense to that. The man with the tousled brown hair never left the store entrance as he shouted at her and watch her turn the corner out of sight. She shrugged it off and murmured things about how weird people can be to herself. She was just taking a walk in the dark.

"Hey, babe, how's about you come over and check out what I'm offering. You might find something you like," said a guy her age or slightly older. She couldn't quiet tell. He was an obvious druggie. The man looked and smelled like he found his outfit in the dumpster. His hair was dyed white and cut in a ridiculous Mohawk that drooped in the middle of his face and split into two strands on each side of his neck. He was gaunt and pale with bloodshot eyes and yellowed teeth. Whatever he was selling, Marceline didn't want any part of.

"I'll pass."

"Come on. Don't shoot me down when you haven't even taken a look at my products."

"By the looks of you, you have nothing that I could want."

The would-be salesman labeled the girl as a bitch in a low utter before moving on to another person and trying to get them to bargain with him. Marceline didn't care what he called her as long as he left her alone.

She turned down an empty sidewalk and continued forward. Her little stroll had started over an hour ago, but she wasn't ready to return home just yet. There were more things to be seen than an angry clerk and desperate drug addict. At least, she hoped there was anyway.

Turn after turn, she journeyed deeper into the center of town. A few people crossed her path now and then, but they weren't interesting; not as interesting as the man she was staring at across the street at the moment. Sometimes Marceline had to wonder about life and how the lives of other people became what they are. This instance was no exception.

Across the wide street, gazing into a window was an elderly man. Why he was gazing inside of a house that probably wasn't his, was a mystery to the teen. Figuring that it wouldn't hurt to help the homeowners out even if they didn't realize she was doing it, Marceline crossed the road. She wasn't worried about whether the man was dangerous. She knew how to fight so she figured she was capable of handling whatever he threw at her. "If you can give me a good enough reason to not call the cops, I'll let you walk away and go back to wherever you came from without a fight."

He jumped, startled and turned to face the newcomer. This guy definitely wasn't a looker. His most attention grabbing feature was his nose. It was long and oddly pointed. He had a full beard that made it look like he was in a competition with Santa and winning. His hair was white and trailed down to the middle of his back in limp strands. He didn't look like he took care of himself well and was dressed in a blue bath robe holding a yellow cap. There was no doubt in her mind that he was out of place here.

"Be quiet or she'll hear you."

She noticed the slightly crazed look in his eyes and decided to take a different approach. "Who will hear me?" she whispered.

"Princess Bubblegum, of course; who else would live in a castle like this," he snapped.

"Never heard of her, but why are we watching her?"

"I'm watching her because she loves me. She just doesn't know it yet. But the day will come when she sees me at this window and welcomes me into her embrace. I don't know why you decided to show up, but the princess is mine. You got that?"

Marceline glanced at him once more before joining the obviously crazy man at the window. She was curious to see just who could catch the attention of a person like this.

Surprisingly enough, the old guy was watching a woman not much older than herself. The woman with the strawberry blond hair was sitting at her kitchen table drinking coffee in the middle of the night and working on her laptop. Well, at least now she knew why he had called her Princess Bubblegum. The pink hair suited her person somehow. It was done up in a lazy bun with strands coming out in random places. Her eyes were covered by a pair of thick framed glasses, and she was wearing a pair of pink pajamas with a white bathrobe draped on the back of her chair.

"What makes you like her so much? It seems to me like she is always working. She would have no time for you if you two ever got together."

"Just look at her. She is beautiful. She needs a handsome guy like me around. I'd show her how to have a good time."

"I bet you will old man. I'm Marceline, by the way. I don't think I introduced myself before."

"You can just call me Ice King. Don't tell anyone, but I can control ice and snow."

She held out her hand and he grasped it. His hand was so much larger than hers and so cold. Marceline was still going to call the police but she didn't want him running away before authorities could get there. She had to do this carefully and she would need the princess's help.

"I'm going to help out then, Ice King. It seems that there is only room enough for one person at the princess's window," she grinned. He mocked saluted her before going back to his peeping. Sighing, she turned around and headed back to the sidewalk. The teen walked until he was no longer in her view, and then made her way to the front door of the house. She just hoped the woman would be calm about the situation and not scare the guy off. Marceline knocked four times on the pink wooden door and waited. There was shuffling and the sound of a chair being slid across wooden floor from inside. The door opened moments later and the woman stood in the doorway. She had her bathrobe on over her pajama and white slippers on her small feet. "Can I help you?"

"Somewhat. I know you don't know me and all, and it's probably strange of me to be coming to you this late at night, but can I come in for a minute?"

"Why?"

"I'm being followed by some creep and I just want a safe place to call the cops," Marceline lied. She just needed to get inside somehow. Then she would be able to tell the woman about what's really going on without the danger of the old man hearing them. She wasn't sure if he stayed at that window now that his princess was no longer in sight.

The woman looked at her skeptically, but let her in after a moment of hesitation. The inside of the house was warm. The walls were cream colored and from what she could see of the furniture, those looked comfortable. There were random pictures here and there of the woman and what Marceline guess was her family or friends. Funnily, she didn't see any pictures of the woman with a boyfriend. Maybe she didn't get out much. The woman was looking out of a window beside the door, possibly trying to glimpse Marceline's imaginary stalker. "I don't see anyone out there."

"Because there isn't. I made that up so you would let me inside."

She turned around quickly and got into a defensive stance. Eyeing Marceline carefully, she asked the younger girl what she really wanted.

"I'm not here to attack you or anything. I just didn't want that old creep standing outside your house to hear me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Believe me or not, there is a guy standing outside of your house right now. He's been watching you but I'm not sure for how long. I just saw him and thought you should know. He thinks you're some Princess and that you're in love with him."

"Why should I trust you? You already lied once to get inside of my home."

Marceline sighed once again. It was so hard to do the right thing sometimes. "Look, just let me call the cops and you can see for yourself if I'm lying to you or not. If he isn't there then they can arrest me for trespassing or something."

The other woman in the room dropped her stance and nodded. She watched the girl pull out her cell and dial 911. She listened carefully to the description Marceline gave of the man and gave her the address of the house when she didn't know it. Then she crossed her arms over her chest when the call ended and went back to sit in her kitchen. Marceline had asked her to do that so that Ice King wouldn't call it quits and leave. The pink haired woman was still skeptical of the whole thing, but she agreed in the end. She didn't glance out the window he was supposedly at so she wouldn't alert him of anything. Her only demand was that Marceline stand in the entrance to the kitchen so that the woman could keep an eye on her. She didn't trust the girl quite yet.

Six agonizing minutes of waiting later, and the police were on the property apprehending the woman's stalker. She was shocked to see them place the middle aged man into the back of a cruiser before he was driven away. There were two other policemen speaking with the girl going over the events of what happened with her before they turned their questions to the woman herself. She informed them that she had no idea he had been out there watching her. They left after that.

The teen and woman stood in the kitchen for a moment in silence before the woman turned to speak. "I guess I should be thanking you."

"It was nothing. The guy was mental anyway. He'll probably be able to get some much needed help now."

"I'm Bonnibel. Since you helped me tonight, I should at least give you my name."

"Nice meeting you, Bonnibel. Bonnibel," Marceline said again, "Bonnie. Bon. Yeah, I like that. I'll just call you Bon. The name's Marceline, but since I gave you a nickname just now, you can call me Marce or Marcy if you want."

"I'll call you Marce."

The teen grinned before making her way out of the house with Bonnibel close behind her.

"I owe you one so if you ever need a favor just call me," Bon passed her a pink sticky note with a number written on it in black ink. Marceline was beginning to believe that pink was the only color this woman liked.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. See ya around."

Then she was back into the night on her walk to nowhere. She heard the click of the door behind her as Bonnibel shut it. Her night hadn't been completely boring after all. At least now she would have something interesting to tell her dog when she got home. With that in mind, she went back to moving one foot in front of the other. She still had no idea of where she was going, but she did know that she wasn't ready to return home yet.

Pulling her phone out, she peeked at the time and saw that it was almost one in the morning. She had been out for longer than she thought. It was probably ten when she left the apartment, but she wasn't too sure. The girl pulled the hood up over her head and placed her phone back inside of her front right pocket. Bonnibel's house was blocks behind. She had wandered into another residential area, but this time she saw a family moving into their new apartment. She was confused at first to why they would be moving in the middle of the night until she saw the youngest child.

They were a family of five; three sons and the parents, all of which looked tired except for the youngest. All of the boys were blond, but the youngest had the brightest hair of that color. The father had a darker blond hue to his strands and the mother was a brunette. They were mostly short and stocky built people, but they had friendly facial features. The three older men of the family were carrying heavy boxes inside while the mother stayed outside with the youngest child. She spoke to him in a soft, loving voice, but the kid never responded.

The boy with the lightest colored blond hair Marceline had ever seen was wheelchair bound. He just sat there staring off into nothingness as if he wasn't aware of anything that was happening around him. He wouldn't respond to anything his mother would say or any touch he received as the men passed them. It was like he was trapped somewhere inside of his head. That both saddened and intrigued Marceline. It looked like they had quite a few more things to move in, so she decided that she would offer them a hand. Maybe she would get some answers as to what was wrong with the kid while she was there.

It wasn't long before she had walked up to the mother and offered to help them. The woman wasn't sure at first but after talking it over with her husband, they agreed to let her help. They would always be able to watch her with their things since the mother would be outside and the men would constantly be coming and going, so they figured why not. Marceline grabbed the brown box closest to her and followed the father up the steps and into the third doorway on the right. They lived on the third floor in room 303. After going up and down those stairs a few times, Marceline silently asked herself why the owners didn't think to install an elevator in this place. A few boxes later and she were carrying the kid's wheelchair upstairs while one of his brothers was tasked with bringing him behind her moments later.

She placed the wheelchair down and prepared it for the young boy to sit in again. After that, she took in the view of the apartment. The family would live in this place for the next few years she guessed. There was a moderate sized kitchen, living room, and a hallway that led to the bedrooms and bathrooms. She looked at the door and watched the brother place the kid gently back in his seat and roll him to the center of the living room. Then he bent down in front of him and started whispering. "This is our new home, bro. We can start over here and everything will get better. You'll see."

She felt like he was saying that more for himself than for his little brother. What happened to this family? The rest of them came in and the father walked over to her. "Thanks for the help. Take this for all your hard work." He handed her a fifty dollar bill. Marceline turned it down saying that she didn't want his money; she just wanted to help them out since she had nothing else worth doing. She was just taking a walk in the dark.

"Well, at least let us offer you something to drink."

"I'm alright with that, I guess."

The brunette headed into the kitchen and started digging through boxes until she found her tea pot and some cups. Then she searched for the tea leaves, filled the pot with water, and started making the family and their guess some tea. Marceline brought her attention back to the youngest child and really looked at him. He really did have a nice shade of blond hair. His eyes looked dead though. They weren't dead as if he was blind, but they were just so empty. There was no life left in them. The mother came back with the tea and handed cups to everyone except for the kid.

Curiosity was eating away at Marceline by this point. She had to know what happened to this kid to leave him so damaged. Sucking in a deep breath, she decided that she might as well ask. The worse that could happen is that they kick her out.

"Can I ask you guys a personal question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'll understand if you don't want to tell me since I'm still technically a stranger to you."

"Go ahead."

"What happened to him," she tilted her head at the child, "How did he get like that?"

It was quiet for sometime after that. The mood in the room shifted and she began to regret ever bringing it up. "Look, I'm sorry if I upset you. Just forget I asked and I'll just let myself out."

"No it's fine. We were just remembering, that's all. I think Jake would be best able to answer that question since he was there with him at the time. You don't mind, do you Jake?"

Marceline followed his eyes to gaze at the boy that was named Jake. Jake was younger than her but not by a lot. His hair was darker than the kid's but still shades lighter than his father's. He had on an orange shirt with khaki cargo shorts and brown shoes. His skin was tan so he probably spent a lot of time outside. His warm brown eyes were cold and distant as he locked eyes with Marceline. She didn't know why, but she felt like he disliked her in some way.

"I'll tell her," he said quietly. She knew that he was uncomfortable with the situation, but there was no taking back her question now. "His name if Finn and he always wanted to be a hero. I used to take him outside at our old home and play games with him. He used to run around swinging a stick around like it was some kind of sword and hitting things that he said were evil. I just played along and made sure he didn't get hurt or anything. Then there was this girl that lived on our street that was setting up for her birthday party. She was going to be thirteen that day."

He paused and blew out a puff of air. Jake swept a hand through his the locks of hair that made their way to his forehead before continuing. "She lost grip on one of her balloons. Finn saw that and start heading over to her to help. The girl starts to run to the road and grab it before it can get too far away, but she doesn't notice the car coming. Finn did though. He tried to…..he tried to save her but he wasn't fast enough. He reached her just as the car was a few feet from them. There wasn't enough time to move out of the way, so he tried to shield her body with his."

He stopped again and composed himself. Tears were threatening to spill out of his eyes but he managed to hold them back and carry on. "So they got hit. Finn was thrown over the car and lost his hold on the girl. He bounced over the hood and top of the car before landing at an awkward angle on the street. The girl went over the car too, but her head cracked the windshield. She landed a few feet away from Finn. Her neck….it was so horrible. Finn dragged himself over to her and he tried. He tried to wake her up, but there wasn't anything he could do. There was so much blood. Blood from him, blood from her; it was in puddles and smudges on the street and splattered on the car. I called the ambulance and they came minutes later. They had to drag Finn away from the girl and pronounced her dead on the scene. He went into shock after that and never fully recovered. I couldn't protect him."

Jake looked at the ground and wiped his eyes. He was trembling and his other brother placed a comforting hand on his back. It had to be hard for them to relive that moment, especially Jake since he saw everything. She felt even worse for the kid. He couldn't handle the death of that girl so he shut himself off from the world and hid himself inside of his mind. Now she knew how he got to that point. Poor kid.

Marceline walked to the kid and crouched in front of him. "How old is he now?"

"Fifteen. He was twelve when it happened."

"Hey, Finn," She grabbed one of his hands in her own. His hands were slightly larger than hers. "I don't know if you can hear me, and if you can, I don't know if you'll even care about what I'm about to say, but hear me out anyway. It isn't your fault about what happened. You did your best and that's all anyone could ever ask for. Even if you aren't a hero to yourself, you will always be a hero to me and your family." She stood back up and looked at Jake. "And you shouldn't blame yourself either. You may be his brother, but you're only human, just like he is. You won't be able to protect him all of the time, but you will always be able to be there for him. He doesn't need to see your guilt all the time. Give him something to look forward to coming back to."

She bid the family farewell after that and let herself out. Hopefully one day, that kid will recover. Even if he can't walk again, just seeing him smile would be enough for them. She wished them the best and left the apartment building to continue her journey. It was almost three now and she was getting tired, but she figured a few more blocks couldn't hurt. So forward she went, with a number in her pocket and fresh memories in her head.

Marceline walked a few more places that night and stopped in a gas station to buy a drink, but the rest of her stroll was uneventful. The raven haired teen returned home to her pet and laid on the rock hard red couch in her living room. Her small, white furred puffball of a pet joined her.

"You know, that was a pretty good walk. I mean sure I was called a thief, pestered by a druggy, forced to call the cops, and did some manual labor for free, but all in all, it was a good walk. I should take you with me next time."

Her dog tilted his head from left to right while looking at her, then jumped down from the couch and walked away. "I'll take that as a definite no. Lazy mutt."

* * *

**It's been awhile since I've written anything. I'm not even sure what to say, I mean, it's just...whew. I haven't been very active either. Life's been getting in the way. I'm going to start college this August so I've been trying to get my things together. My laptop died like, two months before graduation so I was without any way to write for a while. My oldest sister had her third child, my third oldest sister is talking about having a kid...I don't even know about my second oldest sister. We don't talk. I broke up with my boyfriend of five years, but got with a new guy two months later. It's just been hectic since March started. I'm tired...**

**But enough about my little rant session. I just wrote this to have something to post after so long. It's one o'clock in the morning, I shouldn't even be up. If you're up to it, leave a review. And if you're feeling extra generous, tell me how your life has been going. I would love to hear from other people on the site. It's been so long.**


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